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Share self help tips for dealing with TMJ. Exchange information and ideas from natural holistic approaches to more traditional medical therapies. Find out what has worked and what has not for other people with TMJ.
Natural TJM Relief
Blog Archive
About Me
- Dr. TMJ Relief
- I developed Natural TMJ Relief in response to a need. Patients were always asking if there were any supplements or natural products that would be beneficial in addition to the more "traditional" TMJ therapies we were using. There is a huge number of people suffering from TMJ. Unfortunately, less than 5% would be helped by surgery. My goal in developing Natural TMJ Relief is to be able to provide something that will naturally reduce inflammation, calm the jaw muscles, and reduce tension and stress. These are the main causes of TMJ in the population. Further, I hope to educate and empower people to see what they can do to take control of their own health and improve the quality of their lives.
For more information, visit NaturalTMJRelief.com
15 comments:
Hi all,
I noticed last year that I had TMJ. One of my joint bones was already seriously damaged and I had face pain and neck problems. I somehow met Dr DiVito in Scottsdale Arizona who fixed my TMJ totally - Non surgically in only a few weeks. He at first sent me to get an MRI and made a mouthpiece afterwards that brought my jaw into the right position by having me wear the mouthpiece at night. I learned how to chew during the day without having my teeth touch and after just a few weeks my face felt like I woke up from a long deep sleep. I had no idea that this was so easy.
Now after my pain was totally gone and the clicking almost too he put ceramic crowns onto my lower 8 back teeth, without grinding them down. They are called onlays. Now I can chew again and am sleeping without a mouthpiece already for a few weeks and feel great. If you want to learn more about this method you can visit his website. http://www.dentistscottsdaletmj.com or you can even write him. He is always happy to help. If you do so please say hi from me. Thanks. Martina Kind
Martina- thanks for your tip. Dr. DiVito is right on, a mouth appliance is often very beneficial for TMJ. Treatment of dental issues that are contributing factors, managing stress, proper diet, rest, nutritional supplements, exercise ( and sometimes physical therapy, massage , chiropractic, acupuncture) are all conservative, non-invasive methods that can help manage TMJ. Everybody is different and sometimes you have to try several approaches to find what will work for you.
As you, and articles linked here, have mentioned it seems that there are several causes and treatments for TMJ; and that the condition is much more widespread than I ever imagined.
To save money, I tried using an athletic mouthguard from a sporting goods store and it worked to allieve the TMJ pain. It cost a couple of bucks and was made of a yellow, rubbery material that you soak in hot water and then place on your upper teeth. You bite down and form it into a custom fitted appliance. My only modification to it was cutting off the extension on the front which served as a handle to easily remove it. Getting used to the feeling of a strange device in your mouth while sleeping took a little effort but it paid off.
Thanks for the tip. As a practioner I have always been wary of the do-it-yourself guards but I think if you try it and it works for you, great! My concern is that frequently these soft guards actually increase muscle activity.
The way harder guards (stiff acrylic ones like a dentist would make) work is by creating an inhibitory negative feedback loop to decrease muscle activity. Imagine you are chewing something soft then suddenly you bite into a hard seed, your jaw reflexively opens...it's a protective mechanism. Also guards that are professionally made are custom fit exactly over your teeth to minimize movement of the device which can render it useless or counter-productive.
The main point is if you try a do-it-yourself device and it works, fine, but be careful...any sign it is not working or your condition gets worse, seek a professionally fit one.
I am a TMJ sufferer and have created this website with helpful information. Copy and past link below. Best wishes.
http://www.geocities.com/bestadvice100/TMJ.html
Hi all, i have this awful pain in my right side of my face which goes from my upper teeth to my lower teeth and then into my ear. I thought it was a bad tooth so i went to my dentist which he said it was TMJ and recommended a Dr to me. of course there booked and can't get me in until 2 weeks later. anyway, i am taking 3 to 4 Advil every 4 hours for pain as it gets so bad. Now i have sensitivity to hot and cold which sends me through the roof. does anyone know "a secret" to how to manage/control this pain? my husband said i grind my teeth/clench bad at night so I'm sure i will need a night guard of some sort. But until next week, how can i manage this pain? any suggestions/help would be greatly appreciated!
tclay- sensitivity to hot and cold does not sound like "typical" TMJ. Did you tell your dentist that? If it is due to TMJ and not something else then unfortunately there is no magic bullet, I would certainly keep your appointment for next week. Also as long as you can tolerate it keep taking the Advil. Also, heat sometimes helps as this is usually an acute muscle spasm, especially since you mentioned the grinding. Sometimes people use cold, but I'd be careful that can actually exacerbate the issue if it is due to spasm of the jaw muscles. Good luck.
Dr TMJ, thanks for the info.
i went to my regular dentist again this AM as the pain is so severe, come to find out, my tooth was cracked and my nerve was exposed.
this is why the pain was so bad.
so, luckily he called around and got me into a specialist and started a root canal this afternoon.
he still recommends a mouth guard for night time grinding.
tclay- I'm glad you got that diagnosed properly so you can get that taken care of. Such extreme pain is not usually a hallmark of TMJ. TMJ pain usually is more of a chronic, dull, nagging type of pain, although during acute exacerbations the pain can sometimes get to a 10 out of 10.
I do agree with your dentist about a nightguard though. If you have a grinding or clenching problem that probably led to your cracked tooth. That same grinding or clenching habit can also lead to TMJ. A nightguard can protect your teeth and dental work and may eventually retrain your muscles to relax.
Sometimes doctors will prescribe muscle relaxants and/or physical therapy in addition to a nightguard. Natural TMJ Relief also has ingredients which can naturally and gently calm down your overactive muscles. Sometimes it takes many approaches and many months to get a handle on the problem. Good luck and thanks for your input.
I have been a TMD sufferer for 13 years. I have been wearing a night guard for that long. I do not chew gum, ice, carrots, anything hard or chewy. I take an anti-inflammatory and a muscle relaxer daily, which I am excited about trying your all natural TMJ relief. I have had a bilateral arthrocentesis in 1997 and a bilateral arthroscopic surgery in 2002, of which was more helpful. It relieved 90% of my painful clicking and 50% of my pain. It also made my opening go from 18 mm to 40 mm. I find ice helpful and I see an orthopedic physical therapist approx. every other week which helps keep the pain at bay. I do see my pain worse when I am under a lot of stress and the week that I am menstrating.
I have serious stiffness in my jaw, and I tried something called the MyoFree Solution, which is a tool you use to reach the deep muscles in your mouth to massage them and release the spasms, stiffness and pain. It's at www.tmjpainsolutions.com
I liked it because I could do it myself, and it didn't involve anything like medications. It took a couple of tries to get the hang of it, now it's pretty easy for me to whip it out and massage on the inside when I feel tension in my jaw or head.
This is a great site! A lot of people have actually responded..Very informative. Thanks for putting it up!
I know that TMJ can be a really very painful. It seems that one of the best methods as you mentioned is a mouthpiece. Its great that you were able to stop using the mouthpiece so fast. That is really great.
bite guard
I have had TMD for the past 9 years. I don't think my dentist knows much about it because he always looks confused when I tell him I have severe jaw and ear pain (my ear only hurts when my jaw does, so I assume this is related). He has never been able to recommend anything to me.
I am really glad I stumbled across this site. It was/is very helpful. I thought I would have to get surgery for this, but I think I will try some of these smaller, less invasive (at home) treatments first.
Thank You!
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